Storage unit



.1. w. BLACK ETAL STORAGE UNIT Sheet Filed Nov. 21, 1966 mvzm'ons dOH/V11 5446K lea/V410 w 101/056) 31, 19% J. w. BLACK ETAL 3,419,155.

STORAGE UNIT Filed Nov. 21, 1966 Sheet 2 96 INVENTORS ATTOE/VEVS UnitedStates Patent 3,419,155 STORAGE UNIT John W. Black, PrairievilleTownship, Barry County, and

Ronald W. Lindsey, Gun Plains Township, Allegan County, Mich., assignorsto Pemco Wheel Company,

Kalamazoo, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Nov. 21 1966, Ser. No.595,878 Claims. (Cl. 211-90) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This inventionrelates in general to a storage unit and, more particularly, to a typethereof comprising an articlesupporting deck and means for removablymounting said deck upon upright wall means. In this embodiment, thestorage unit is fabricated substantially completely from metal parts,the majority of which are rod form. The unit comprises a deck having aplurality of spaced crossrods supported upon spaced lengthwise rods, therear one of which is mounted upon an upright wall by rear brackets whichpreferably permit pivotal movement of the deck around its rearward edgeat least between a substantially horizontal position and a substantiallyvertical position depending from the rearward edge of the deck. Thefrontward edge portion of the deck is supported upon and between frontbrackets which are either mounted upon an adjacent side wall or upon thefrontward end of a frontward projection on the rear bracket. In oneform, the front brackets can be easily disconnected from the deck topermit pivotal movement of the deck in installations where such movementis desired. Alternatively, the same front brackets can be fixedlyattached to the deck so that disconnection requires damage to ordistortion of the connecting parts, whereby the unit is theftproof.

In a modified form of the invention, the front and rear brackets arearranged so that the shelf deck can be quickly and easily removed fromthe wall structure upon which it is normally mounted. However, by aminor modification involving the addition of relatively minor parts tothe brackets, the same deck can be rendered incapable of movement from afixed position so that it is theftproof.

The problems of providing adequate storage space are well known and everpresent. Many attempts have been made to develop improved storage unitsand one such device is disclosed in copending patent application Ser.No. 550,401, filed May 16, 1966. However, in the course ofcommercializing this earlier storage unit, it was found that otherproblems existed which had not been overcome. For example, shelves whichcan be easil and quickly detached from their mounting brackets for thepurpose of cleaning and/or redecorating, are readily susceptible totheft. Thus, while such storage units are completely adequate forinstallation and use in private dwellings, they are not desirable incommercial installations.

On the other hand, even though a storage unit, such as shelving, isfabricated so that it can be installed theftproof, it is generallydesirable to construct and install the shelving so that it can be moved,or at least repositioned, when the need arises.

It has also been found that in commercial installations, it is highlydesirable to have all hardware installed after the completion of theconstruction work and with a minimum amount of installation cost, suchas that arising out of the services of skilled artisans, required tomake adjustments in the basic structure in order to receive thehardware. For example, where purchased finished storage units are to beinstalled, it is desirable that all of the preliminary arrangements forsuch installations can be ice completed by the contractor prior todelivery of the purchased finished items which can then be installedafter the regular construction workmen have departed the premises.

However, it has been found that many types of storage units, such asshelving, must be installed by the workman during the final stages ofthe actual construction of the building or the resulting installation ofthe units will be unacceptable to the proprietors of the building. Thatis, it has been practically impossible to install the shelving units,for example, on preinstalled brackets and supports without making agreat many adjustments in the positions of said brackets and supports,during the installation of the shelving decks.

Accordingly, the objects and purposes of this invention have been toprovide a storage unit, and particularly an article-supporting shelfstructure, which:

' (1) Can have all of its supporting brackets and hardware installed inadvance of the installation of the shelving deck, thereb simplifying thecompletion and decoration of the building prior to the finalinstallation of the shelving deck;

(2) Is designed so that it can be alternatively installed theftproof orremovable, thereby adapting it for both commercial and residential usewith a minimum of variations in its basic and principal components;

(3) Is capable of installation so that the deck can be easily movedbetween a normal article-supporting position and a second position whichfacilitates redecorating of the wall space adjacent thereto, but whichstill prevents easy theft of the shelf structure;

(4) Is capable of being installed in preselected lengths which do nothave to be exact and which include adjustment features permittingadaptation of the shelf to a substantial variation in the spacedimensions and the locations of preinstalled brackets without adverselyaffecting the performance of the shelving unit;

(5) Is fabricated in modular sizes which can be adapted to any spacerequirements, which is extremely sturdy in construction, easy tomaintain and attractive in appearance.

Other objects and purposes of this invention will become apparent topersons familiar with this type of equipment upon reading the followingdescriptive material and examining the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a storage unit embodying theinvention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along the line IIII in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken IIIIII in FIGURE 2; along the hneFIGURE 4 is a sectional view substantially as taken along the line IVIVin FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view t V V in FIGURE 1; aken along the lineFIGURE 6 is a sectional vie VIVI in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 7 is an exploded fragment of FIGURE 4 showing a modified deck andsupport bracket;

FIGURE 8 is an exploded sectional view similar to that appearing inFIGURE 4 and showing a modified structure;

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view taken along the line IX-IX in FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a front elevational view of a support bracket for the rearedge of a shelf deck including a broken portion of such deck;

FIGURE 11 is a broken side view of said modified rear bracket;

FIGURE 12 is a front elevational view of said modified rear bracket witha theftproof attachment thereon;

w taken along the line FIGURE 13 is a sectional view taken along theline XIIIXIII in FIGURE 12;

FIGURE 14 is a perspective view of the support member on the modifiedrear bracket;

FIGURE 15 is a perspective view of the theftproof member for themodified rear bracket.

For convenience in description, the terms upper, lower, front, rear andwords of similar import will have reference to the storage unit of theinvention and parts thereof as appearing in FIGURE 1, wherein the frontedge of the storage unit is in the right front of the figure. The termsinner, outer and derivatives thereof Will have reference to thegeometric center of said storage unit and parts thereof.

Descripti n The objects and purposes of the invention, including thoseset forth above, have been met by providing an article-supporting deviceor storage unit 10, a preferred embodiment of which is illustrated inFIGURE 1. Said storage unit is comprised of a deck 11 which is supportedby rear brackets 12 and 13, which are attached to an upright wall 20,and by front brackets 14 and 15 which are attached to the rear bracket12 and said wall 20, respectively. Although the following description ofthe invention is in terms of structure made largely from rod-formmaterials, it should be realized that other types of construction couldbe used.

The deck 11 is comprised of a plurality of preferably evenly spacedparallel crossrods 16 which extend transversely of and are secured, asby welding, to two or more lengthwise rods, such as the rods 17, 18 and21. The front rod 21 is seucred to a hanger bar 19 by a plurality oftruss members 22, which extend between said rods and are securedthereto, as by welding.

Each truss member 22 (FIGURES 2, 3 and 4) is channel shaped and has apair of flanges 24 and 26, and a web 2 For aesthetic, as well asutilitarian purposes, said flanges may have an elliptical shape. Aportion at each end of web 27 may be removed and an opening 28 may beprovided in the center of said Web to permit easy draining when the deckis coated. The flanges 24 and 26, have coaxial openings 29 and 31,respectively, through which a latch member or pin 32 may be slideablyreceived.

The rear lengthwise rod 17 of the deck 11 is supportedly engaged by rearbrackets 12 and 13 which may be provided with various constructions, asshown. For example, rear bracket 12 (FIGURE 1) is comprised of anupright bar 33 having a frontwardly offset portion 35 which defines withthe wall a transverse opening 34 into which one end of the rear rod 17may be inserted. Said bar 33 may be fastened to the upright wall 20 byconventional means, such as screws 36.

The other rear bracket 13 (FIGURE -6 may be formed of strap materialwhich is bent to form an opening 31 into which the other end of rod 17may be inserted. The ends 37 and 38 of said bracket 13 have alignedopenings 39 so that the bracket may be secured to the wall 20 byconventional means, such as the screw 42. Rear bracket 13 is of a typewhich may be positioned at a plurality of closely spaced locations alongthe rear rod 17, simply by spreading apart the two ends 37 and 38 of thestrap and inserting rod 17 therebetween until it seats in the opening31.

When the deck 11 is connected to the wall 20 by rear brackets 12 and 13,only, said deck may be pivoted upwardly and downwardly around the axisof the rear rod 17.

Front brackets 14 and 15 may be of various types, as long as they havean opening into which a latch pin may be supportedly received. The frontbracket 14, for example, may be of a type (FIGURES 1 and 5) which isintegral with, and a forward extension of, the rear bracket 12. Saidfront bracket 14 is comprised of a pair of arms 45 and 46 (FIGURE 1)which are preferably integral with the bar 33 and converge frontwardlytherefrom where they are connected to boss 47 having a pin opening 44(FIGURE 5).

The latch pin 32A, which has a head 43, extends through the opening 44in the boss 47 and through the openings 29 and 31 in the flanges 24 and26.

The front bracket 15 is preferably utilized where there is an adjacentwall 20 to which said bracket 15 may be secured. The opposite ends ofthe bracket 15 are secured to wall 29 by conventional means, such asscrews '50. Bracket 15 (FIGURE 4) may be formed from strap material andhas a central offset portion 48 with a transverse opening 49 forreception of latch pin 32. The latch pin 32 is slideably disposed in theopenings 29 and 31 of the truss member 22 adjacent the front bracket 15and in the opening 49 of the bracket 15 for normal support.

The brackets 12, 13, 14 and 15 may be fabricated from metal or plasticmaterial. The latch pin 32 has an offset portion 40 which facilitatesalignment thereof with the opening 49 in bracket 15.

Latch pin 32 (FIGURE 2) may be releasably, but securely, held inposition in holes 29, 31 and 49 by lock spring 51, which is disposedbetween the flanges 24 and 26. Said spring has a pair of coils 52 and 53through which pin 32 extends, and said coils are connected by anelongated, U-shaped portion 54 which projects rearwardly of the trussmember 22 for manual engagement. Said coils 52 and 53 have projections55 and 56, respectively, extending laterally therefrom (FIGURE 3) forlocking engagement in notches 57 and 58 (FIGURES 3 and 4) of the flanges24 and 26, respectively. To effect lengthwise movement of said pin 32,the elongated portion 54 is forced in a clockwise direction (FIGURE 3)from its solid line position to its broken line position 54A, while saidprojections are secured in said notches, thereby causing coils 52 and 53to expand. While the spring 51 is retained in such position, pin 32 maybe rotated or moved axially through openings 29 and 31, coils 52 and 53and opening 49. When said spring 51 is released, coils 52 and 53contract, thereby gripping the surface of said pin and preventing itsaccidental movement with respect to the truss 22 in which it issupported.

Modification The above-described storage unit 10 is well suited forinstallation in private dwellings or closely controlled commercialbuildings where there is little concern about theft. However, with minormodification, the storage unit 10 can be adapted for use in commercialand industrial installations where it is especially desirable to providea unit which is theftproof.

As shown in FIGURE 7, the front bracket 15 is replaced With a frontbracket 59 which can be flush with and recessed into the plastered wall20. Bracket 59 is preferably cup-shaped and has a lip 62 which may restagainst the surface of the wall 20. Said bracket has a recess 61, thedimensions of which are such that the offset end 40 of latch pin 32 maybe inserted therein. Being plastered into the wall, bracket 59 isinconspicuous when not in use and is not readily removable. Bracket 59may be molded of a suitable material, such as metal or plastic. Thelatch pin 32 is firmly held (hence theftproof) in the recess 61 inbracket 59 by the self-locking washer which is pressed tightly againstthe adjacent flange 26 of the truss member, when the pin 32 is properlydisposed in said recess 61. Thus, to remove the deck 11 from the bracket59, it is first necessary to overpower the lock washer 60.

FIGURES 10 through 13 illustrate an alternate rear bracket 63 whichpermits quick and easy release of the deck 11 from support thereby, butwhich can be readily made theftproof by adding the element disclosed inFIG- URE 15.

The rear bracket 63, which may be positioned at substantially anylocation along the rear of deck 11, is comprised of a U-shaped wirehanger 64 and a channel-shaped member 65. Holes 67 and 68 are providedin the backplate 66 of said member 65 through which screws 75 may beinserted to fasten said bracket 63 to an upright wall 20.

The U-shaped, wire hanger 64 (FIGURE 14) is in fact comprised of twoouter, U-shaped elements 85 and 86 which are spaced from each other,substantially parallel and interconnected at one end of each by thearcuate portion 87. The U-shaped member 64 also includes a pair of innerU-shaped elements 88 and 89 which are integral with and disposedradially inwardly of the outer U-shaped elements 85 and 86,respectively, for engagement with the rod 17, as shown in FIGURE 10.

Since the wire hanger 64 is preferably fabricated from a single piece ofspring wire, and since the inner elements 88 and 89 are spaced from theouter elements 85 and 86, the hanger 64 can engage and properly supportthe rod 17 in a substantial number of relative positions be tween therod 17 and the mounting member 65, as shown by the broken line position17A of the rod 17 in FIGURE 10. Accordingly, minor misalignment of themounting member 65 during its installation will not affect itsperformance. Moreover, minor irregularities in the surface of the wallcan also be absorbed by the described structure of the wire hanger 64.

The backplate 66 has a transverse and substantially horizontal offsetportion 70 through which the legs 91 and 92 of the outer elements 85 and86 may be inserted to help anchor the hanger 64 upon the mounting member65. One of the screws 75 (as shown in FIGURE 11) extends between thelegs 91 and 92 adjacent the arcuate portion 87 to complete the anchoringof the hanger 64 upon the mounting member 65. However, the spacing oflegs 91 and 92, and the length of the offset portion 70 are such thatthe inner elements 88 and 89 can move axially of the rear rod 17 for thepurpose of avoiding interference from the crossrods 16 in the event thatone of said rods is located close to or in front of a preinstalledbracket 63.

With bracket 63 secured to the wall 20, the rod 17 of deck 11 (FIGUREmay rest in the upwardly opening recesses of the U-shaped elements 88and 89. As indicated in FIGURE 11, the front ends of the elements 88 and89 extend slightly above the centerline of the rod 17 and hookrearwardly to clamp the rod 17 against the front edges of the flanges 93and 94 on the mounting member 65, whereby accidental disengagement isyieldingly resisted.

The bracket 63 (FIGURES 12 and 13) may be adapted for theftproofamendment to the rear lengthwise rod 17 by means of the U-shaped lockmember 69 (FIGURE Said lock member 69 has a pair of hooks 71 and 72 onits legs 96 and 97, respectively, which are hooked over rod 17, afterthe rod is held by the bracket 63 on said wall. The bight 98 is adjusteddownwardly until it can be moved into the notches 73 in the lower edgesof the flanges 93 and 94. Wire hanger 64 and lock member 69 are made ofmaterial that is sufliciently resilient that rod 17 may be adjusted intoplace even though the rear bracket 63 has been secured to the wall inadvance.

The alternate locking member 76 (FIGURES 8 and 9) is V-shaped and hasflanges 77 and 79. The flange 77 has a circular hole 78, the diameter ofwhich is slightly larger than the diameter of pin 32. Flange 79 has aslightly ovalshaped hole 81, which has its major axis lengthwise of theflange. To move the pin 32 lengthwise into or through the locking member76, the flanges 77 and 78 must be squeezed together as illustrated bythe dotted lines in FIGURE 9. When said flanges are released they moveapart and thereby grip the pin 32. Locking member 76 is preferably madeof spring steel. In this embodiment, the deck 80 comprises a perforatesheet, which may be metal, wood or plastic, and which is mounted uponlengthwise rods 83.

It will be evident from the foregoing descriptive material that avariety of ditferent deck or shelf constructions can be used and thatthey may be supported upon upright wall means by brackets according tothe invention, including the rear brackets 63 and front brackets 14 and15.

The deck 11 (FIGURE 3) is disclosed as having its front edge directlyabove the hanger bar 19, However, it will be recognized that thecrossbars 16 can extend forwardly of the hanger bar 19, hence the frontrod 21, as indicated in broken lines at 16A. Under such circumstances,it may be desirable to provide a further truss member 22 at both ends ofthe extended frontward edge of the deck with a corresponding pin 32 forthe purpose of supporting the extended frontward edge of the deck uponthe upright wall. The offset outer end portion 40 (FIGURE 2) of the pin32 permits normal insertion of the pin into the opening in the bracketor an opening in the wall by which the support is achieved. Moreover,normal irregularities in the runout of the wall or the locations ofbrackets or openings in the wall do not require change or modificationin order to effect completely satisfactory installation and support ofthe storage unit.

In fact, installation of the storage unit as it is normally thought ofin the building trade, wherein the brackets are all mounted after theinterior is finished, is not required for this storage unit.Furthermore, it is unnecessary to make the considerable adjustmentsoften required to adapt the deck structure to the preinstalled bracketsor openings. The decks are merely mounted upon the brackets and theaforementioned structure permits such mounting without the use of anytools or special instructions.

Where it becomes desirable to have intermediate support lengthwise ofthe shelf deck, such is accomplished by using two decks 11 and placingthem in abutting relationship on opposite sides of a rear bracket 12. Insuch case, the pin 32A (FIGURE 5) may be replaced by a single pin Whichextends completely through a pair of trusses located at the abuttingends of the decks, hence, on opposite sides of the front boss 47 of thebracket 12. Alternatively, if it is desirable to provide an offsetportion in the pin, for reasons described above, the boss 47 may be madesomewhat oversized so that two pins having 0&- set portions may be usedwhereby such otfset portions can enter the opening in the boss 47 fromopposite sides thereof.

While a truss member 22 is shown near the center of the hanger bar 19for the purpose of supporting same upon the front rod 21, it will berecognized that this truss member may be replaced by one of theoval-shaped truss elements 99 which also extend between and are rigidlysecured to the bar 19 and rod 21.

Although particular, preferred embodiments of the invention have beendescribed above in detail for illustrative purposes, it will berecognized that variations or modifications of such disclosure, whichlie within the scope of the appended claims, are fully contemplated.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A storage device mountable upon upright wall means comprising:

article support means having front and rear lengthwise edges and firstand second lengthwise rods, said first rod being adjacent said rearlengthwise edge and said second rod being laterally spaced from saidfirst rod in a direction toward the front lengthwise edge;

a third rod parallel with and near to said second rod;

a plurality of truss members extending between and connected to saidsecond and third rods, a pair of said truss members being positionednear the opposite ends of said front edge, each one of said pair oftruss members having spaced flange means with coaxial pin openingstherein;

first bracket means engaging said support means adjacent said rearlengthwise edge for securing same to said wall means;

second bracket means adapted for connection to said wall means andhaving a pin opening therein;

pin means slideably disposed in said pin openings in each of said pairof truss members for axial movement with respect to said support means,said pin means being slideably receivable into the pin opening formed insaid second bracket means when same is connected to said Wall means; and

gripping means engaged with said pin means between said flange means andadapted to engage said flange means for limiting axial movement of saidpin means with respect to said support means while it is engaged withsaid second bracket means.

2. A storage device as defined in claim 1, including two second bracketmeans;

wherein said pin means includes two pins, each of said pins beingslideably received within the pin opening formed in one of said pair oftruss members positioned near one end of said front edge, and also beingsimultaneously positionable within the pin opening formed in said secondbracket means; and

wherein the pin openings formed in said pair of truss members arepositioned substantially between said second and third rods.

3. A storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein said first bracketmeans includes a bracket member having a first portion adapted to besecured to said wall means and a second elongated portion fixedlysecured to said first portion and extending outwardly from said wallmeans, the second portion of said bracket member being positionedadjacent one end of said article support means and said second bracketmeans being positioned adjacent the other end of said article supportmeans, said second portion of said first bracket means supporting saidarticle support means near the front edge thereof.

4. A storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein said first rod ispivotally engaged by said first bracket means and said second rod issubstantially parallel with and adjacent to said pin means;

wherein said pair of truss members are channel shaped and said flangemeans are rigidly secured to said second and third rods; and

wherein said gripping means comprises spring means encircling andgripping said pin means between said flanges of each of said pair ofchannel-shaped truss members, said spring means being manuallyreleasable from gripping said pin means.

5. A storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein said article supportmeans includes a plurality of spaced rodlike members extending acrossand fixedly secured to said first and second rods, said rod-like membersbeing substantially perpendicular to said rods.

6. A storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein said article supportmeans has a substantially fiat support surface thereon, said surfaceextending between said first and second rods.

7. A storage device as defined in claim 6, wherein said support surfaceis defined by a flat, rigid sheet having a plurality of perforationstherein.

8. A storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein said first bracketmeans includes a plurality of support members rigidly securable to saidwall means and a spring member mounted upon each support member andhaving a U-shaped, upwardly opening recess; and

wherein said first rod is snugly and yieldably held in said recess.

9. A storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein said article supportmeans includes a support deck extending between and fixedly secured tosaid first and second rods with said support deck defining asubstantially planar support surface; and

wherein said second and third rods define a plane substantiallytransverse to said planar support surface with said third rod beingspaced below said second rod.

10. A storage device mountable upon upright wall means, comprising:

substantially planar, article support means having front and rearlengthwise edges and first and second lengthwise rods, said first rodbeing adjacent said rear lengthwise edge and said second rod beinglaterally spaced from said first rod in a direction toward the frontlengthwise edge;

a third rod parallel with and near to said second rod and spaced fromthe plane of said support means;

a plurality of truss members extending between and connected to saidsecond and third rods, a pair of said truss members being positionednear the opposite ends of said front edge and having coaxial pinopenings;

first bracket means pivotally engaging said first rod adjacent said rearlengthwise edge and adapted for mounting said support means on saidwall;

second bracket means adapted for connection to said Wall means andhaving a pin opening therein;

pin means slidably disposed in said pin opening in each of said pair oftruss members for axial movement with respect to said support means,said pin means being slideably receivable into the pin opening formed insaid second bracket means when same is connected to said wall means,said pin means being substantially parallel with and adjacent to saidsecond rod; and

yieldable gripping means engaged with said pin means and adapted toengage said support means for restricting axial movement of said pinmeans, said gripping means being manually releasable from said pinmeans.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 687,431 11/1901 Kimball 292-306847,510 3/ 1907 Rogers 292- 1,216,983 2/1917 Goldberg 248-262 1,659,1112/1928 Lett 292-306 2,454,894 11/1948 Tatom 248-261 X 3,049,273 8/1962Crane 211- X ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R.

